Eight Days
by Made of Blue
Summary: ...is how long it takes to find someone you want to spend the rest of your life with... Hisagi ShuuheixOC
1. The Introduction

"You're shitting me, right?"

Hisagi was in complete and utter shock. He was a fukutaichou, for Christ's sake. How could the Seireitei expend such a worthwhile shinigami for this meaningless mission?

"Unfortunately not," the captain of the tenth division, Hitsugaya Toshiro, replied authoritatively. "We've been short-staffed recently. Former academy members are being recruited immediately after graduation, and none of them can handle something like this. We can't even afford to have a shinigami on guard in this area."

Hisagi sighed, scratching behind his head. Hitsugaya-taichou sure knew how to make up excuses.

"Isn't that Kurosaki's territory?" Hisagi questioned, subtly seeking a way to get out of this trivial mission.

"Yes," Hitsugaya quickly replied, almost in anticipation of that question, "but he has his hands full in Karakura town. It's only the next town over, but it's not like he can teleport there in an emergency."

Hitsugaya knew he had made an valid point, so he resumed casually flipping through the pile of paper work on his desk. Hisagi looked down, trying to think up another excuse as to why he couldn't accept such a pointless task; however, he was unable to develop one.

"Fine," Hisagi finally accepted, saying the word in a tone harsher than he had intended. "Are there any other details available?"

Hitsugaya momentarily stopped his apparently important paper-flipping task to rummage through a drawer in his desk. He pulled out a white envelope and handed it to Hisagi. "There are a few, but don't depend on them."

Hisagi inspected the blank envelope before turning to leave. "All right. Thanks, Hitsugaya-taichou."

"Good luck," the captain absentmindedly sighed.

Hisagi left the room in a fouler mood than he had entered. Not only was a sake-drinking session with the other lieutenants interrupted, his life would be temporarily disrupted by this tedious mission. The Gotei Thirteen had received word that a large gathering of gillians were planning to enter a town called Naruki due to a supposedly high spiritual pressure. Some officials guessed that the gillians were planning to enter Naruki and head toward Karakura town, where a higher concentration of reiatsu was located; however, gillians did not possess the level of intelligence to plan such a task, leading them to believe that someone was in charge of the menos grande hollows and planned the invasion.

Either way, in Hisagi's opinion, a third or fourth seat officer should have been fully capable of dealing with this sort of infiltration. Otherwise, they could've sent a lietenant that actually had a captain to leave in charge of the division. After Tousen's betrayal, a new ninth division captain had not yet been named, leaving Hisagi in charge of the division. He internally wondered if the third seat officer would be capable of handling the responsibilities of maintaining the division.

In spite of these reservations, Hisagi knew much better than to disobey direct orders from Yamamoto-taichou. He walked out into the open to summon a hell butterfly and travel to the world of the living, hoping to return as soon as possible.

Hisagi knew that he would return. Menos grande hollows were nothing to a fukutaichou, and he could handle a group of them easily. Whether or not he could return the same, however, could only be determined by the events to unfold.

* * *

"SHIOMI!" an obnoxiously loud voice called, causing said girl to spin around from her position at the kitchen table.

"Yeah, dad?"

"Where's your homework? I need to check it before you turn it in tomorrow!" a large man yelled. He must have been at least six feet tall, sporting a dark beard and matching sideburns, in spite of the fact that he was mostly bald. His stomach protruded over his trousers, hanging out to resemble a beer belly. Although his current appearance wasn't incredibly attractive, his look twenty years earlier most likely would have turned some heads.

"I haven't finished it yet. Soccer practice ran late today," Shiomi replied. She was a pretty, young teenage girl, having dark brown hair that fell to her shoulders and tanned skin, most likely the result of outdoor activities. Her chocolate eyes perfectly complimented the color scheme of her appearance.

"Then what are you doing here? Go get it done!" Shiomi's father yelled.

The girl sighed and stood up from her seat, grabbing her backpack. "Okay, okay..."

Sluggishly, Shiomi walked up the stairs to her room and closed the door with a loud _thud_. Although there was a barrier between her and the downstairs area, Shiomi could hear her mother shout at her father, "Why are you always so difficult with her? Soccer's important, too! You don't only have to focus on her schoolwork!"

The large man countered this argument, "Academics are more important! She'll never get into a top university with poor grades and the ability to kick around a ball!" Shiomi wondered why the neighbors hadn't yet complained about the volume of this household.

Shiomi sighed once more. Her parents were generally happy people; however, they tended to differ in terms of the importance of extracurricular activities relative to academia. Regardless of what her parents would say, Shiomi would continue to try her best at whatever she enjoyed, like soccer, or had to do, like schoolwork.

After completing her writing and math homework, Shiomi decided that a well-deserved break was in order. She calmly walked down the stairs, careful to avoid her grade-concious father, who was occupied with the newspaper. Shiomi slipped on a light cardigan and walked out the back door into the crisp, autumn evening air.

She crossed her arms at the gentle breeze. It was truly rare to have the opportunity to enjoy the environment like this, without any distractions, and she cherished every moment. A second year student at Karakura High School, Shiomi had much to focus on if she, like her father said, wanted to attend a good college. Although her father would only approve of an academic scholarship, Shiomi wished for the opportunity to play soccer in college. It was her passion, and she couldn't imagine living without it.

Like a few other students, Shiomi commuted to her high school. Her parents decided to live in Naruki, even though she attended Karakura High school, as it was closer to her father's workplace. Having moved to this city just a year ago was difficult to adjust to, but Shiomi had managed just fine. As long as she could play soccer, she could live wherever.

Shiomi smiled softly, feeling rather pleasant in this environment. She was rarely able to take a break, so she tried to experience each one to the fullest. She approached a small wooden bench only four blocks from her house and sat down, closing her eyes to be able to fully absorb all the evening sounds: the crickets, the cicadas, the rustling of the leaves, the shrill scream in the background-

At this sound, Shiomi's eyes opened wide and looked around, seeing nothing out of the ordinary. A very uneasy feeling began to rise within her as she decided to return home. When she stood up and faced her destination, however, loud footsteps and heavy breaths could be heard from behind her. Turning around very slowly, Shiomi was shocked to see a monstrous creature with a pale, black body wearing an icy white mask. The creature was taller than most of the buildings in the area, and towered over her like she would to an ant. Just as she was about to run, the creature released a long, loud shriek.

Shiomi bolted away from the creature, but knew better than to return home-it would most likely follow her there, then put her family in danger. Instead, she turned at the second block in an attempt to lure the creature away. She should have been able to guess, however, that because the creature was so much taller than her, it could take longer strides, and, therefore, was much faster. A black appendage meant to resemble a hand reached out and pulled Shiomi's leg, bringing her closer to the white-masked phenomenon.

Shiomi couldn't even scream. Her emotions had reached a level beyond fear where any communication was futile. She was going to die, and she knew it. The very aura that this creature emitted smelt of death, and Shiomi could feel it embracing her.

She covered her eyes with her arms, not wanting to witness this hideousness devouring her. That point, however, never came, as the black creature's head fell to the ground, spewing blood in every direction. Shiomi was in too much shock to be disgusted, as the liquid splattered her figure.

She noticed another figure approaching from behind the falling body of the black creature and figured that this one would probably kill her, too; however, to her slight relief, the figure that appeared from the chaos was a rather attractive young man, holding a long samurai-like sword. His outfit was rather unusual for the time, but Shiomi didn't feel like judging the man who had just saved her life.

As the man approached Shiomi, his face came into full view. Two tattoos adorned his left cheek, one of the figure "69" and one a stripe. Three scars ran down his right eye, and Shiomi could practically feel the pain from them. His eyes were black and narrow in shape, and seemed to dominate anything that came into view. His spiky black hair seemed to compliment his punk-ish appearance. What Shiomi particularly enjoyed, however, were his exposed biceps, which she presumed provided him with enough power to save her from whatever she would need to be saved from.

Taking all of this in, Shiomi could definitely tell that this would not be the kind of man her father would approve of.

During her internal commenting, Shiomi's rescuer was able to reach her, even though he walked at a steady pace. He knelt to Shiomi's level and immeidately began to inspect her leg injury.

Feeling awkward, Shiomi felt the need to speak; however the only noise that came out of her mouth was, "Um..."

The man continued to inspect what appeared to be a large bruise on her leg, most likely from where the black creature grabbed her. In a dark, gruff voice, the man said, "It's not too bad. I think I can heal it for you."

Shiomi was in utter amazement. Not only could this man conquer a terrifying beast, but he was also a doctor? How did he manage his time so well?

"Wh..Who are you? And what was that thing...?" Shiomi asked, feeling more confused than amazed as the mysterious man began his work.

"You don't need to know," the man replied, placing his hands on Shiomi's leg injury. Suddenly, a light surrounded the wound as Shiomi could practically feel her skin cells healing.

When the man removed his hands, Shiomi's leg was completely healed and back to its tan, toned self. She twisted it around, inspecting it.

Unaware of how to respond, Shiomi simply said, "Thank you..."

The man stood up, preparing to leave, uttering the kind, "You're welcome," in reply.

Shiomi, however, didn't want this man to go. She felt some sort of inexplicable need to be near him. Perhaps her curiousity was piqued when he so easily killed something that would have easily killed her. Or maybe just the tought of doing something her father definitely wouldn't approve of thrilled her. Whatever the cause, Shiomi wanted to keep this man around.

She stood up, following him as he walked away. "Can you at least tell me your name?" she questioned.

"No," the man answered. Although his answer was brief and seemed ingeniune, his tone hinted at the fact that there were certain things better left unsaid.

"Well, then, can you tell me about that monster?"

"Sorry," the man replied in negation.

Shiomi huffed while walking more quickly than usual to keep up with the man. After walking with him to the end of the block, however, Shiomi stopped, knowing that this conversation was going nowhere fast. Before he left, though, there was only one thing she needed to know.

"Will I ever see you again?"

The man stopped and turned around. He looked Shiomi in the eyes with a straight face and said, "I'll see you around."

Hisagi left Shiomi with a sly smirk as he hopped from rooftop to rooftop to ensure that she couldn't keep up with him. He honestly didn't know if he would ever see that girl again, or even if she mattered. All he could do was thank God that there was a pretty brunette around the corner from his boring mission.


	2. The Usual

Tanaka Shiomi knew what to expect on a typical school day. After a smelly bus ride to Karakura Town, she would walk two blocks to the high school building. Upon entering, Shiomi would walk down one hallway, turn right, then walk down another until she reached the third room on the left-her classroom. In this room she would find several cliques of people conversing in groups-there was a group of devil-may-care boys, a group of girls who wore too much makeup, and the loud group. Of this group, everyone at Karakura High School took notice.

It was the most unusual clique at the school, as a co-ed mixture of varying personalities where the sweet and innocent Inoue Orihime and Ogawa Michiru contrasted the loud-mothed and vulgar Asano Keigo and Honsho Chizuru. The most outstanding of the group, however, was a tall, lithe male with unusually colored hair, who, at this time, casually chatted with Sado Yasutora, a buff latino male.

No one seemed to mind the volume of said group, however, as it contained some of the most respected students in the high school, including Ishida Uryu, the current top student in the class.

Whatever this group could do together in such a large huddle boggled Shiomi. She figured that they could rule the town with such intimidating members.

Shiomi must have stared at said group for too long, as one loud-mouthed member vivaciously ran over to her desk.

"Good mooooooooorning, Tanaka!" Keigo shouted, ridding Shiomi of any drowsiness she may have felt after an eventful evening.

"Hello, Asano-san. You're doing well, I see..." Shiomi casually responded in a much lower volume. This was her subtle way of trying to make Keigo's volume decrease.

"Did you have a nice weekend?"

Shiomi looked down, remembering the attack of the pale-faced monster and the handsome stranger who rescued her. Without giving too much away, Shiomi replied, "I guess. It was... unusual."

Keigo noticed the drop in Shiomi's enthusiasm when she spoke. "What happened? Did your dog die or something?"

Shiomi shook her head. "I've never had a dog."

Keigo grabbed the sides of his face and fell dramatically to the floor shouting, "Poor Tanaka...!"

While Keigo was busy with the theatrics, one friend, Kojima Mizuiro, approached the two. "Good morning, Tanaka."

Shiomi smiled. "Hello, Kojima-san."

Mizuiro quickly noticed Keigo when the man started clinging to the boy's leg. "What's wrong with you?"

Keigo could do nothing but mutter, "Never... never... doggie..."

As Mizuiro tried to pry Keigo off of his leg, one girl from the make-up group named Asumi shouted to Shiomi from across the room. "Hey, Tanaka! What happened in Naruki last night? The news said that there was some kind of accident."

Shiomi knew exactly what accident she was referring to. The black beast that had attacked her last night anonymously made headlines that read, "GIANT TRUCK PUMMELS NEIGHBORHOOD." After being healed, she noticed the destruction the creature had left in its wake. Most of the street lamps were thrown askew and some windows were smashed. If she hadn't witnessed the monster's terror firsthand, Shiomi probably would have believed that a truck did the damage.

"I'm not sure, really. I think I slept through it," Shiomi replied to Asumi's question.

Asumi wasn't satisfied, however, as she inquired further. "Well, what'd it look like? Was anybody hurt?"

Shiomi wondered if she should divulge all of the details, then decided that a gossip like Asumi wasn't the best person to expose them to, especially when every student in the class was listening to their conversation.

"No, no one was hurt, but a bunch of street lamps were ripped out of the sidewalks. Some windows were smashed, too, but it wasn't in my neighborhood, so I don't know everything."

Asumi shrugged, realizing that she probably wouldn't get any juicy details out of Shiomi.

After satisfying Asumi, the classroom teacher walked in with a loud yell of, "Good morning, class! I've prepared a very boring lesson today, so get ready to fall asleep!"

Shiomi sighed, already accustomed to this teacher's unusual methods. Sitting in the second seat of the window row had its benefits-she could pretend to pay attention and observe outdoor scenery, including the gorgeous soccer field.

What Shiomi couldn't see, however, was a certain orange-haired boy staring at her from two rows back, wondering how much she truly knew about the Naruki "truck accident."

* * *

Shuhei Hisagi knew what to expect of a typical other-worldly mission. After locating the disruptive phenomenon, he would quickly dispose of it. And that would be that.

But for some strange reason, Hisagi felt that this easy mission would impact him in unprecedented ways. He considered regrouping with Ichigo, should his feeling develop into unpredicted difficulty. After all, a shinigami as skilled as Hisagi knew better than to ignore a feeling such as this.

In spite of this, Hisagi opted to spend the day scoping out Naruki, the location of the predicted hollow gathering. From a few moments of searching, he could already tell that this area was fairly residential. Several condominiums lined the blocks, most likely belonging to single business men and women. The train in the middle of town seemed to be a fairly popular route of transportation, as Hisagi observed that many humans clogged the terminals in the early hours of the morning.

The subway line was approximately five blocks away from the train station, and seemed to be less popular. Younger humans, most likely attending college or high school, seemed to prefer this route.

During these observations, Hisagi praised himself for briefly studying human culture prior to this mission. Otherwise, many of the selandmarks would appear even more foreign.

There was another mode of transportation that caught Hisagi's attention. A large public bus stopped in front of a pale blue building that appeared to sell commonplace items, such as food and toiletries. While this intrigued him, the familiar young woman who approached the vehicle intrigued him even more.

Hisagi recognized the big brown eyes and complimentary brown hair, which flowed all the way down to the girl's shoulders. He watched as her small hand gripped the bar in the bus to pull her figure inside. She nodded and smiled at the bus driver, handing him some change. Her toned, tan legs led her to a seat on the left side of the bus as she placed her purple bag next to her. The girl crossed her legs and straightened her skirt, looking out the window as the bus once again began to move.

As Hisagi watched the vehicle depart, he became mildly disgusted with himself for ogling a teenager when he was hundreds of years old, despite his appearance as a young adult. He excused his behavior with the belief that there was nothing else to do in this boring little town.

Hisagi sighed, scratching behind his head. "Damn it..." he cursed out of boredom. He settled for stuffing his hands in his pockets and walking around until something eventful happened.

He passed several humans, either in groups or alone. The younger ones appeared to gather to form strength in numbers, while the older humans seemed to prefer solitary travel.

After dismissing several obnoxious groups of humans, Hisagi approached a building that possessed a reiatsu similar to one he felt last night. He immediately identified this building as belonging to the young girl he had saved, and recently saw on that bus.

Hisagi stood in front of the house for a moment, wondering whether or not he should enter. When he recalled the fact that the girl would not be home for a couple of hours, having left for school, Hisagi opted to enter the building.

The interior seemed to be nothing out of the ordinary for a normal human house, if not slightly bigger. Hisagi walked through the kitchen, living room, den, and dining room without seeing anything or anyone interesting. He huffed in disappointment, then recalled that human houses usually have individual bedrooms.

After exploring the entirety of the downstairs, Hisagi wandered upstairs, and entered the first door he found. He was slightly disappointed to discover a plain white bathroom.

"Tch," Hisagi sighed, unintentionally slamming the door. He walked down the hall a bit further and opened the next door on the opposite wall.

He could easily identify this as a bedroom, noting the small bed against the far wall. Hisagi couldn't help but wonder if this bedroom actually belonged to a girl with all of the soccer posters adorning the wall. The green bed sheets also gave nothing away, but the spiritual pressure he felt indicated that the girl he had saved spent a fair amount of time in this room.

Hisagi clearly didn't feel bad snooping, as he began inspecting underneath the bed and on the bookshelves for any indication of whether this bedroom belonged to the girl or not. He quickly spun around, finding nothing from either location, and spotted a dresser. Hisagi sighed, thinking that probably would have been a good place to start searching.

He walked up to the wooden drawers and pulled the top one out, literally. Hisagi stumbled and dropped the drawer to the floor. His mouth opened slightly when its contents scattered throughout the room.

Pink, white, and purple undergarments were skewn across the floor. Lacy bras and colorful panties seemed to be commonplace in this drawer. After this discovery, Hisagi knew that this room belonged to that girl.

He sighed and sat on the floor, beginning to clean up his mess. While Hisagi picked up the girl's undergarments, he couldn't help but notice that she kept some rather unusual articles. While most of her panties appeared to cover what they were intended to, some of the ones located in the back of the drawer seemed rather revealing. One pair was made entirely out of black lace.

Being a man, Hisagi couldn't help but envision the attractive young girl wearing those thin, lacy panties for him, sprawled out on the bed, a curious blush adorning her cheeks. Her hands shyly covered her breasts, but exposed her toned abdomen for Hisagi's viewing pleasure. He could remember her light, airy voice, and imagined her whispering his name.

"Hisagi..."

At that thought, he shook his head. Not only did he feel like a house invader, Hisagi felt like a dirty old man. And he didn't feel that way often.

With a sigh, he put away the rest of the girl's sexy panties and didn't even look when he picked up her bras, for fear of imagining her plump, round breasts filling them.

Hisagi easily lifted the drawer and shoved it back into the dresser. After completing such a tedious task, however, he felt unusually tired. Unable to see a negative aspect to it, Hisagi decided to lay down on top of the green sheets.

The girl's bed was soft and fluffy, and easily allowed Hisagi to fall asleep. He hadn't slept the previous night, due to the suspicion that another hollow might have appeared; therefore, a light nap felt truly well-deserved.

It was unfortunate that only four hours later, Hisagi awoke due to a high-pitched shout.


	3. The Info

"What are you doing in my room?" the girl shouted, her voice most likely more high pitched than she had intended.

Hisagi stared at the girl who had awoken him, wincing slightly from her obviously upset tone. He didn't stare often, but on this occassion, he chose to do so blatantly. The brunette probably noticed Hisagi's stare, causing her eyebrows to creep together in frustration.

Hisagi sat up, moving his arms up to stop her from yelling any more. "I can explain. Really."

"Well, please do," the girl commented, crossing her arms and shifting her weight to her left leg.

Hisagi was almost surprised that she wasn't more upset. Sneaking into someone's room was a serious invasion of privacy, yet she seemed to be taking this better than most other teenage girls would. Not to say that she was taking the situation well, but it could have been worse.

"See," Hisagi began, his tone calm, "I'm not from... around here, so I thought-"

"That you could break into the home of the only person you've seen?" the girl interrupted. She was beginning to get on his nerves...

"Look, I'm not-" Hisagi stated once more, only to be interrupted by a different source.

A homely looking woman with dark brown hair and large blue eyes opened the door to the bedroom. Hisagi could almost feel the fatigue coming from the woman's expression, as the wrinkles and lines beneath her eyes seemed to speak volumes.

"Honey, is everything all right?" the woman asked. Her voice was kind and heartfelt, and reminded Hisagi of the girl's voice from their first encounter during the hollow attack. "I thought I heard you shout."

The girl turned around sharply towards her mother. "No, everything's not all right. Mom, why'd you let this guy into our house?"

The woman, identified as the mother of the household, looked puzzled. "What guy? I didn't let anyone inside."

The brunette gestured towards Hisagi. "The guy on my bed. He's right there!" she exclaimed taking a step closer to Hisagi.

Hisagi shook his head as the girl's mother replied, "...Sweetie, there's no one there."

He almost pitied the brunette as she looked more perplexed than when she discovered Hisagi sleeping on her bedspread. So, being the kind and suave guy he is, Hisagi chose to clarify the situation.

"She can't see me," Hisagi spoke, his voice rugged. "Most humans can't."

The girl's eyebrows scrunched together even more. "What?"

"Sweetie?" the girl's mother interrupted. "Are you feeling okay? Do you want some tea?"

The girl shook her head and smiled sweetly at her mother. "No, I'm fine. Sorry, I must be tired..." she replied, her tone returning to its normal volume.

Her mother nodded and smiled, then left the room. Hisagi could tell that a long explanation was in order; however, whether or not he was at liberty to divulge information about Soul Society remained undisclosed, but the fact that this human girl could see and touch a shinigami meant that she would more than likely become involved with the Seireitei at some point.

The brunette sighed and sat down in a chair by a desk, kicking her shoes off upon sitting down.

"I'm Tanaka Shiomi," the girl introduced, making eye contact with Hisagi. "I'm almost an above average student, and I play soccer pretty much all the time, even though my dad's been trying to make me quit since I turned thirteen."

Shiomi looked at the floor after she said this, making her discomfort with her father tangible. Hisagi almost felt sorry for her, until she resumed her introduction.

"About three months after I started attending Karakura High School, I was able to see ghosts. And when I tried to tell my mom about it, she thought I was sick," Shiomi spoke, the volume of her voice decreasing as her melancholy seemed to intensify. "The only reason I'm saying this is because... I have a feeling you can tell me what's going on with me and how I can fix it. My mom can't see ghosts and she can't see you, so... I think you have a connection to them somehow."

Hisagi stared at Shiomi as she concluded. He had no idea what had compelled her to give such a strange introduction, but he had a feeling that she was expecting his next. Yet upon staring at this supposedly human girl, Hisagi couldn't help but be captivated by her once again. She had such round brown eyes, and he wanted to melt in them. Her long, thin fingers curled around themselves, indicating her discomfort with the situation. It was quite obvious that confessions were not common in this household. Therefore, he admired the courage it must have taken for Shiomi to confess such a significant secret.

In spite of Shiomi's assets, Hisagi constantly reminded himself of the fact that she was human, and would remain so for the time being. That being said, Hisagi made it his personal mission not to interfere too much with this girl's life. He could feel her pulling him in, and he feared becoming addicted.

Hisagi sighed, reaching one muscled arm behind his head to roughly scratch his scalp. He didn't like introductions, and he could tell that this would be a long one.

"My name's Hisagi Shuuhei," he began, staring into Shiomi's eyes, "and I'm a shinigami."

* * *

Shiomi was surprised, to say the least. The very notion that hollows and the Seireitei and the Gotei 13 could even exist eluded her, and the fact that they were all connected to the "plus" spirits she visualized was even more astounding. After Hisagi's very detailed explanation, Shiomi felt as though she had to say something, even if just to indicate that she was still alive. Unfortunately, she couldn't think of anything to say. So, she sat on her desk chair, mouth slightly agape, staring at her hardwood floor. She could tell Hisagi was staring at her, most likely for any indication that she was still concious.

"Are you okay?" Hisagi cautiously asked, snapping Shiomi out of her reverie. She shook her head as if to wake up, then looked at Hisagi with a smile.

"Yeah, I'm..." Shiomi began, but seemed to lose the words as she stared at her wall, then turned back to Hisagi, "...surprised..."

Hisagi raised one eyebrow, and Shiomi continued. "I mean, if there are these shinigamis and hollows and all that stuff, they why haven't I seen more of them around?"

Hisagi rubbed his forehead in an effort to alleviate the ache this girl was causing. To Hisagi's dismay, the girl continued to rant.

"And if these shinigami exist to help spirits cross over, then why are there so many pluses left? I mean, you made it sound like there are a lot of these shinigami people, and- sorry, are they even people? Like human? Or are they... ghosts? It's just..." Shiomi began to say, yet seemed to lose the urge to. She looked at the ground and shook her head. "It's a lot to take in at once."

Hisagi looked at Shiomi in understanding, then nodded in agreement.

"But," Shiomi continued, "I think I believe you."

Hisagi looked up at Shiomi and smirked. She was rather interesting for a human.

It was also rather evident that Shiomi preferred a lack of silence, as she continued the conversation by asking Hisagi, "Do you tell people this information often?"

Shiomi stared into Hisagi's eyes, awaiting his reply. He simply shook his head and answered, "I never have."

Her eyes narrowed in mild curiosity. "Why?"

Hisagi looked up and away from Shiomi. He stared out the window and chuckled quietly. "It takes too long. And humans keep asking questions about things they really don't understand."

Hisagi's eyes narrowed as he uttered his final statement, staring into Shiomi's eyes. She could feel his piercing gaze intensify, and almost felt his pain and fear. Shiomi tilted her head in contemplation as the gears began to turn inside her head. Hisagi spent his time saving lives, and she spent hers playing soccer and doing homework. He practiced and taught others to protect in his free time, and Shiomi would study in hers. He had killed others with little difficulty, and Shiomi could hardly squash a bug without cringing. Her respect for the man sitting before her was invaluable, yet worthless. She was just a human who happened to have an unusual ability, and Hisagi was a shinigami who could turn her into dust in a matter of seconds. She was nothing to him-and she knew it.

"I'm..." Shiomi began, her eyes turning sympathetic, "...sorry."

Hisagi looked confused as he questioned, "For what?"

Shiomi frowned as she looked at him. "For being human."

Hisagi looked at the ground and smiled. "Yeah."

Shiomi looked at him as a smile developed on her face. She was conpletely in awe of this man as he stood, making her appear even more miniscule than she felt. Not only was he incredible as a shinigami, but Hisagi appeared amazing to her as well. Shiomi had never come across someone similar to him-someone who could render her completely breathless just by taking in his appearance. Hisagi was tall, muscular, and masculine-everything she loved in the opposite sex. But she knew better than to pursue him.

Shiomi stood up and looked at Hisagi. "Where are you going?"

He looked down at her, and let a small smirk spread across his lips. "Somewhere."

Shiomi looked down with a frown. She hardly knew this man, yet what she did know she liked. She couldn't stand the thought of having him leave without learning more.

"Do you... eat?" she asked, almost hitting herself for phrasing it so strangely.

Hisagi looked confused, but replied, "Yes..."

Shiomi looked at him once more, her eyes pleading for him to stay. "Do you want to eat... here? With me?"

Hisagi smiled and briefly looked away from Shiomi, as if thinking it over. He had no idea what had compelled him to say it, but Hisagi replied, "Sure."

* * *

"Do you always eat so quickly?" Shiomi asked, staring at Hisagi's clean plate. It had taken him all of five minutes to clear it.

Hisagi wiped his mouth with his napkin, casually replying, "Usually."

He sighed, stretching out on the floor by leaning back on his arms. He could tell that Shiomi wanted to ask him something else, as she had been unusually quiet for a full five seconds. "What?" Hisagi asked, his tone a bit harsher than he had intended.

Shiomi looked startled as she stood to gather her plate with Hisagi's. "Do you want any more?"

Hisagi closed his eyes and answered, "No, thanks."

Shiomi nodded and sat on the floor cross-legged across from Hisagi. She placed both plates on her desk before holding her chin in the palm of her hand and beginning to stare at Hisagi.

Hisagi didn't like to stare at people; so, justly, he didn't expect people to stare at him. Irked with the human girl's mock admiration, Hisagi abruptly demanded. "Stop staring. I've been around you like this for three hours now. I'm not going to change."

Shiomi seemed to awaken from whatever stupor she was in as she apologized, "Sorry..."

Hisagi almost felt remorseful after hearing Shiomi's pitiful tone. Instead of staring at him, she opted to stare at her hardwood floor, perhaps with the hope that it would do something worth watching. He had to admit, he was sort of surprised with Shiomi's behavior. Aside from Kurosaki's group, which included said shinigami, Inoue, Ishida, and Sado, Hisagi had heard that most humans were selfish and fearful, yet neither of these would characterize Shiomi. In fact, after she heard about the Seireitei and shinigami, she needed very little proof to take Hisagi's words truthfully. Perhaps she wasn't quite as human as he had initially believed...

Or so he thought, until she began another series of questions.

After briefly answering Shiomi's inquiries, Hisagi chose to ask her a question. "Why are you so curious about this?"

Shiomi looked somewhat shocked to hear Hisagi ask her a question, as opposed to the other way around. As she answered, a gentle smile spread across her rosy lips. "Probably because I've never met someone like you. And if I never see you again, I want to know that..." Shiomi paused, trying to find the proper words, "...I won't regret not knowing something that I could have."

Hisagi wasn't an incredibly deep person. Although he had moments showing emotional maturity, this did not prove to be one of them, as he scoffed at her reply. "That's strange."

Shiomi blushed and flusteredly responded, "Why?"

Hisagi stood up to look down at the girl's confused countenance. "Why do you think I would tell you all of this if I didn't think we would meet again?"

Shiomi's expression quickly transitioned to one of mild happiness. "You mean-"

Unfortunately, Shiomi could not finish her answer, as her bedroom door loudly opened. Standing in the doorway was a gruff middle-aged man unfamiliar to Hisagi, yet the aura he emitted seemed to make him feel glad that they were not acquaintances.

"Shiomi, did you finish your homework?" the man inquired, the volume and timbre of his voice proving hardy enough to spread visible goosebumps on Shiomi's arms. Luckily for Hisagi, humans like this were relatively unalarming.

"No, dad, I had stuff to do after school," Shiomi answered, standing up. The added height did nothing to decrease the man's ability to intimidate.

"You can't play soccer all the time," the man began. "You're going to waste your life away."

Shiomi's small fingers gripped together, transforming hands into fists. It was rather obvious that she was upset with this man. "I didn't have practice today," Shiomi answered, her tone one of feigned calmness. "I came home after school."

Her father's expression changed to one of frustration. "Then you should have started studying." The man walked over to her desk and picked up the plates. "How many times do I have to tell you not to eat in your room?"

Shiomi looked down and muttered a quiet apology. Her father scoffed in acknowledgment, then seemed to notice the unusual quantity of plates for one person to eat dinner.

"Why did you take two plates?" the man asked.

Shiomi looked nervous, fiddling with her fingers to think of an answer. "I was... hungry...?"

Her father looked confused, but chose not to inquire further. Before leaving, her father reminded her of what he believed to be of utmost importance. "You need to start studying."

Shiomi tried to smile, but only managed to look slightly less upset. "I will."

Shiomi's dad sent her one last look over his shoulder before closing the door behind him. Shiomi stared at the door with a downcast expression for almost five minutes before turning around to sit down at her desk. Hisagi could almost feel her emotions emanating from the area surrounding her, yet he was unaware of what he could do to placate her sentiments. Therefore, he decided that it would be best for him to leave.

"Good luck studying," Hisagi said casually before preparing to leave through her opened window.

Shiomi turned toward Hisagi, gesturing for him to wait. "Um..." she whispered, withdrawing her hand.

Hisagi stared at Shiomi, almost pitying her distaught expression. "What?"

Shiomi looked up at Hisagi, her sweet, chocolate eyes pleading for him to do something, and he wasn't quite sure he could refuse her. Although he had just met this girl, Hisagi felt that he knew enough about her to enjoy spending time with her, even if she was an inquisitive, slightly annoying human.

Ah, that was right. She was human. And would remain so for now. So, Hisagi killed whatever emotions he felt for this girl.

Unfortunately, they seemed to resurface as her pleasant voice asked, "Will I ever see you again?'

Hisagi couldn't help but smirk. She was so naive. "We'll see."

He sent her one last smoldering look over her shoulder before leaping out of her window. He didn't even have to look behind himself to know that she was watching him through her window, waiting for him to come back.

"Hisagi!" she shouted, gripping the window pane.

Hisagi turned around to acknowledge her.

Shiomi looked at Hisagi, then shouted, "Be careful."

Hisagi was surprised to see her express such concern for someone who was practically a stranger, but smiled and waved nonetheless. Internally, he looked forward to their next encounter...


	4. The Second Day

Hisagi knew that it would be a long night. He mildly cursed himself for bidding Shiomi farewell so early, as she most likely could have cured his boredom. There were very few things to do in this city, and most of them could only be done by humans. Perhaps it would be beneficial for Hisagi to get a gigai, in spite of all the negative aspects Ikkaku points out.

Another prospect that Hisagi had considered to cure his ennui was training, but he had yet to find a suitable area. He probably should have asked that girl if there was an open field somewhere.

Sighing, Hisagi opted to follow the only option he really had in terms of how to spend his time in this city: walking around. It was slightly more enjoyable than his morning adventure, however, as there were fewer humans and more plus spirits. After allowing several ghosts to cross over into Soul Society, Hisagi found himself back at Shiomi's house. It seemed that her address possessed some sort of homing beacon that constantly drew him in.

Hisagi adeptly jumped up to Shiomi's window and stood on the ledge, leaning down to stare in through the window. Her room seemed despondent when it wasn't lit, and the girl appeared even more so. Her brows were as furrowed as they were when she had first learning of Hisagi, and he could barely see a tear coming from her eye.

It might have been his unyielding urge to protect others that had caused it, but whatever the catalyst, Hisagi leaned in towards Shiomi and gently brushed the tear off of her face, cautious not to awaken her. Suddenly, the girl's stress seemed to lessen, as her expression relaxed and she turned towards Hisagi, opening her mouth slightly to breathe. Hisagi realized that this girl had made him forget to, as he sharply inhaled.

Shiomi had some sort of unspeakable effect on Hisagi, and he didn't care much for the amount of control it allowed her to have over him. For some reason, so long as he stayed in this town, he felt that he wanted to protect her above all others, no matter the cost. And yet he had only met her twenty-four hours ago. He couldn't imagine how he would act around her after spending several days with her.

Stepping out of her window, Hisagi jumped to the roof of the building across the street from Shiomi's house, which just happened to allow him a very perceptive view of her room. Aside from watching the girl sleep, there wasn't much else to do at this location. He then recalled the device given to him by Hitsugaya-taichou for locating hollows in the world of the living. After pulling the device out of his pocket, Hisagi turned it on and noticed that there were no unfamiliar spiritual pressures.

Sighing, he began to toss the device up and down in boredom. Across the street, Shiomi fidgeted in her bed, catching Hisagi's attention. He almost felt like a stalker for paying so much attention to her, but then he could come up with the excuse that he was just trying to protect her.

The girl continued to move around in her bed, until stopping completely to sit up. She turned towards the window, making Hisagi's heart skip a beat. Why, he was unaware, but Shiomi proceeded to close her open window. Ah, she must have been cold.

Before turning back to her sleep, Shiomi noticed an object moving up and down in the distance, then locked eyes with an unseeable figure.

Hisagi, however, noticed Shiomi's obvious stare, forgetting to catch the device amidst the eye contact. As soon as Shiomi laid back down, Hisagi noticed that his device was on the ground below, shattered into pieces.

_Oh, shit..._

There was only one location in the world of the living where Hisagi could expect to find a replacement device. He considered it rather fortunate that it was located in the next town over.

* * *

Shiomi awoke the next morning feeling unusually refreshed for a Tuesday. Surviving through Mondays left Shiomi feeling utterly exhausted, even though that was the only day she didn't have soccer practice.

She stretched her arms up above her head and stood up, beginning her usual morning routine. In spite of the ordinary morning procedure, Shiomi couldn't help but recall the rather extraordinary information she had learned yesterday. All she could think about was the man who had saved her life and the incredible one that he lived. A part of her desperately desired to join Hisagi in the Seireitei and live as a shinigami.

But that would be absurd.

Sighing, Shiomi dressed herself in the school attire and walked downstairs with her book bag to eat breakfast. At this time, she could only recall how quickly Hisagi had eaten last night. Only then did she consider the possibility that Hisagi may not have been eating three meals a day, so his hunger was perfectly acceptable. She began to think of ways that she could sneak him food without her parents asking too many questions. For now, however, she grabbed a granola bar and said goodbye to her mother as she ran out the door.

Shiomi looked up at the sky and realized a small dilemma in her plan to deliver food to Hisagi-his location was unknown, proving it much more difficult to give him something.

Shiomi sighed and did the only thing she could think of. "Hisagi?" she called, the volume of her voice at a normal level. "It's Shiomi. If you're around here and you can hear me, then-"

"What?" Hisagi asked, suddenly appearing right in front of Shiomi, startling her so much that she would have fallen onto her bottom, had Hisagi's incredible reflexes not caused him to catch her arm and pull her back up. "You should be more careful."

Shiomi's eyes widened and her tone became accusatory. "I would be able to be more careful if you didn't scare me onto my butt!"

Hisagi closed his eyes and sat down on a nearby bench. "Sorry, sorry..."

Shiomi instantly realized the harsh tone of her voice and chose to recuperate by giving Hisagi a peace offering. She dug the granola bar out of her bag and held it up to him, saying, "Here. It's blueberry."

Hisagi blinking at the strange substance Shiomi held in front of him. Understanding his confusion, Shiomi clarified, "It's a granola bar. I didn't know if you were able to eat breakfast or anything, so..."

Hisagi stared up at Shiomi. Her eyes were turned away from him, looking down. The faint blush across her cheeks spoke of her obvious embarrassment. In spite of how adorable Hisagi considered this appearance to be on her, he chose to lessen her discomfort by reaching out and taking the granola bar.

"Thanks," he said, observing her face to see her reaction. She looked slightly surprised when Hisagi actually took the bar from her hands, as he had seemed disinterested at first. Shiomi then smiled and stared Hisagi staight in the eyes.

"You're welcome."

Hisagi looked away from her to read the labels on the granola bar. He had never heard of this form of nutrition, and he wanted to make sure it seemed like something he would eat. He stopped reading, however, when he noticed that Shiomi was still observing him. As soon as he sent her a confused look, the girl averted her eyes and looked at the watch on her wrist.

"U-Um..." she began, her nervousness apparent, "I'm late for school, so I've gotta go."

Hisagi looked down at the bar once more and closed his eyes. "Yeah."

Shiomi began to shuffle her feet, obviously not quite ready to leave in spite of her words. Hisagi chose to help her say whatever she needed to, careful not to make her late for school. "Is there something else you wanted to tell me?"

Hisagi casually leaned back on the bench staring at Shiomi. As soon as he auburn eyes caught his, she turned away, blushing. "W-well..." she started, "I feel like I've asked you this a lot... but, will I see you again?"

Hisagi blinked once, then smirked. This girl was incredibly fascinating for a human, and he figured he wouldn't mind spending a fair amount of time with her. "Yeah. I'll be around."

Shiomi closed her eyes and smiled with relief. "Good. I mean, awesome..."

She turned away from Hisagi, preparing to leave, when he realized that he wouldn't be here when she was done with school.

"Wait," Hisagi called, reaching out a hand to grab hers. He hadn't realized when he had stopped her from falling, but Shiomi's hands were incredibly soft. Considering the only skin Hisagi felt was that of other shinigami, who dedicated their lives to justice and would have calloused appendages, her human skin seemed unusually delicate. He would just love for her to wrap them around his neck while kissing her so hard, she wouldn't be able to let anything but moans fall from her lips. Or better yet, if she would wrap her slim, supple fingers around his-

"Hisagi?" Shiomi interrupted, sparing him of the dirty thoughts entering his mind. Hisagi couldn't help but find it mindblowing how a simple touch from this girl could make him feel such intense emotions.

But back to the task at hand. Hisagi grabbed a pen from the pocket of his shihakusho and scribbled some words on a piece of paper, then handed it to Shiomi. "When you're out of school," Hisagi explained, "come to this location. I need to show you something."

Shiomi took her gaze away from Hisagi to read the words "Urahara Shop" on the paper given to her. The name was unfamiliar to her, and she would consider it rather trying to find a location she had never heard of. "But I don't know where this place is..."

Hisagi seemed to expect that reply, as he quickly answered. "Find Kurosaki Ichigo and ask him to take you there. He'll know."

Now Shiomi was completely lost. What did that orange-haired kid have to do with anything. "But-"

"You'll understand if you go there after school," Hisagi reassured. "Trust me."

For some reason, Shiomi knew she could. She nodded, her features turning serious. "All right."

Shiomi turned away from Hisagi and began running towards the bus stop. She had barely made it ten feet before turning around to shout, "Hisagi! Be careful!"

Hisagi smiled. Maybe it wasn't the soft skin that made this girl so enticing. If it wasn't, it was her endearing sense to constantly remind him that although he could be considered a stranger to her, she cared enough about to not want to see him hurt. Hisagi was almost positive that saving her life and helping her leg heal played huge roles in these sentiments.

But he couldn't dwell on these feelings for long. As soon as Shiomi's figure faded away, Hisagi jumped towards Karakura Town. It was time to take care of business...


	5. The Shop

Despite her efforts to avoid it, Shomi ended up tardy for her first period. She certainly thanked her teacher's quirky attitude, as she seemed to wave off Shiomi's delay, muttering something about her being a good student.

As she took her seat, Shiomi tried intensely to pay attention to her teacher's lecture. She knew it was first period, but she wasn't positive as to which subject the teacher was referring. All Shiomi could mentally consider was seeing Hisagi later in the day.

She wasn't quite certain what drew her to him so profusely. He was attractive, but not openly so. He was respectful, but rough around the edges. He was strong, but not invulnerable, even though Shiomi had yet to think of someone or something he couldn't defeat. She constantly weighed Hisagi's attributes, a positive one paired with a negative one. As she continued this process, however, she gradually ran out of hindrances and resumed mentally listing what she liked about him.

_Hisagi's voice, Hisagi's eyes, Hisagi's face, Hisagi's biceps..._

Unfortunately, Shiomi was so consumed by her mental list-making that she didn't even notice her teacher calling her name until she raised her volume.

"TANAKA!" Shiomi's teacher shouted, startling the brunette out of her seat. She didn't seem to pay much mind to it, however, as a chorus of hushed giggles swept the classroom. "Are you listening?"

Shiomi proceeded to rub her bottom as she took her seat, then honestly replied, "No, ma'am..."

The teacher looked even angrier than she had before she shouted Shiomi's name. "Like I've been telling you for the past _five minutes_, you'll be working with Kurosaki."

Shiomi blinked. "Uh, right."

Her teacher stared at her, then proceeded to ask, "Do you know the assignment?"

Shiomi blushed and looked down. "Um..."

The teacher turned around and walked to the front of the class, then shouted, "Okay! Sorry for assigning you the day-dreamer, Kurosaki! Looks like you'll be doing all the work!" Apparent, her teacher's eccentricity could also be an encumbrance.

Shiomi could hear some parts of the class giggling, and could feel several pairs of eyes staring at her. She couldn't confirm either of these hypotheses, however, as she had buried her head into her crossed arms atop her desk in humilitation. What was Hisagi doing to her? 

Following her classroom debacle, Shiomi truly tried her hardest to stay focused; however, as soon as the class broke up into pairs to complete the assingnment, she returned to her own Hisagi-filled world. She felt so incredibly lost in it that she couldn't even remember how to spell her name.

Shiomi was only pulled from her reverie when the orange-haired student opposite her stated, "I got zero for number one. What'd you get?"

Shiomi looked at her textbook, then her blank piece of paper. Flustered, she quickly replied, "Um, yeah! That's what I got..."

Ichigo raised an eyebrow to her reply, then casually looked at her work, or lack thereof. He didn't seem to pay much attention to it, however, as he continued on to the next problem. Shiomi felt very lucky that the partner she had been assigned was so easygoing, in terms of schoolwork.

Feeling a sigh of relief, Shiomi picked up her pencil in an effort to attempt this work. She found it very difficult, as she continually felt the instinct to write Hisagi all over her paper like a lovesick schoolgirl. It was only after this point that Shiomi realized that was probably all she was to Hisagi-a kid with a crush. He lived this extraordinary life, and she wasn't even a part of it. She could only imagine how many women he had-

"What'd you get for number two?" Ichigo interrupted, looking up at Shiomi.

Shiomi looked down at her paper, then noticed that during her preoccupation, she had actually written Hisagi's name on her paper. She gasped, then cautiously began to reply, "U-um... I-"

Ichigo interrupted her once again, however, only to take her paper. "Here, let me see."

"N-no!" Shiomi yelled, the volume of her voice not noticeably loud. She reached for her paper, then covered her eyes as she saw Ichigo pull it further away from her to read it. She could only imagine how he would laugh at her... then probably pass it on to Keigo and Mizuiro... after which, the contents of her paper would be spread to the whole school.

Shiomi could barely hear Ichigo's voice above her own nightmares, but she could faintly discern the name, "Hisagi?"

She spread her fingers apart to peek through them at Ichigo. "You mean Hisagi Shuuhei?" he asked.

Shiomi dropped her hands from her face altogether. "You know him?" she exclaimed, her voice much louder than she had intended.

"Tanaka!" her teacher shouted, suddenly right next to the pair of desks. Shiomi considered it pretty reasonable that after several loud exclamations the teacher would approach them. "Where's your work?"

Shiomi blinked and looked down. There was no way she could give her teacher her blank paper.

"Here," Ichigo said, handing the teacher his work. "We worked together on one sheet."

The teacher grabbed the paper and sent Shiomi one last look over her shoulder before leaving. Shiomi let out a sigh of relief.

"Thanks," she whispered, too nervous to speak loudly.

Ichigo ignored it, however, and returned to the conversation topic he initiated. "How do you know Shuuhei?"

Shiomi almost felt like she should have been the one asking Ichigo that. He wasn't exactly low-key, but she wouldn't expect him to know Hisagi. Regardless of how Ichigo learned of him, Shiomi repeated the details of her encounter with Hisagi, all the way through this morning.

Ichigo placed his head in his chin in thought, looking down. "That's weird."

Shiomi knew that her story was unusual, but his reply was fairly cryptic. "Which part?"

Ichigo looked up towards the celing and muttered, "I didn't know that you lived in Naruki."

Shiomi looked shocked. "That's what you got out of it?"

Ichigo sighed and placed his hands on his desk, pushing his chair out. "Sorry. I guess I'm used to hearing stuff like this."

Although slightly surprised by his response, Shiomi didn't feel incredibly so. She had discovered that Ichigo was naturally a relatively laidback person if unbothered, and his response upheld this nature.

Ichigo looked at Shiomi and asked, "So, where's the note?"

Shiomi furrowed her brow in confusion.

"You said Shuuhei told you to go to a place after school, and that I could take you there," he clarified.

Shiomi's look of confusion faded as she rummaged through the pocket of her sweater. She pulled out a small crumpled scrap of paper and handed it to Ichigo, a look of frustration overcoming his features as he read it.

"That's good," Ichigo commented, extending his arms across his desk. "I needed to ask Urahara something, anyway."

It was once again Shiomi's turn to look confused. She felt as though this wasn't a very productive conversation, considering she couldn't follow a word of it.

"Whatever," Ichigo stated, stuffing the paper into his pocket. "I can take you there."

Shiomi looked surprised, then smiled. "Thank you!"

Ichigo muttered a "yeah" in reply, then turned around to converse with his tall dark-skinned classmate. Shiomi didn't pay much attention to Ichigo after that, however, as she could only think of seeing Hisagi. 

It had been a fairly boring school day, especially since the only activity Shiomi had to look forward to was meeting up with Hisagi. After dismissal, she was able to rejoin Ichigo, only to notice that he was grouped with Sado Yasutora and Inoue Orihime, two of who Shiomi considered to be his friends. She had noticed them walking together on several occasions, which was to be expected when they spent so much time together. She chose not to question these additions, however, and proceded to follow Ichigo.

"So Tanaka-san," Orihime began, her voice light and airy, "how did you meet Shuuhei-san?"

Shiomi looked down, wondering whether or not it would be appropriate to explain their encounter once again. Ichigo, however, seemed to sense Shiomi's nervousness and interjected.

"Shuuhei got assigned to Naruki, and when Shiomi got attacked by a hollow, he saved her."

Orihime looked up and put her index finger to her chin. "Oh! So he's your knight in shining armor!"

Shiomi's cheeks reddened as she turned towards Orihime, putting her hands up in negation. "N-no! That's not..."

Ichigo turned around as he walked, sending a smirk to Shiomi. "That explains why his name was on your classwork, right?"

Shiomi's mouth opened as she flushed more profusely than before. She had realized that it would be pointless to argue with this group. Ichigo had damning evidence, Orihime didn't seem to have a clue as to what she had insinuated with her statement, and Sado hardly appeared to be following the conversation at all.

Shiomi sighed as Ichigo faced the front once more. She hadn't even realized that she had made her affection for Hisagi so blatant that someone like Orihime, whose instincts concerning romantic relationships were about as developed as a three-year-old, would be able to point it out. Orihime's statement did make sense, however. Perhaps Shiomi's attachment to Hisagi was due to the fact that he had saved her life. She had never previously had a near death experience, and from what she could tell, they were not at all pleasant. So, by sparing her of this treachery, Shiomi may have gained feelings for her, as Orihime described, "knight in shining armor."

If this was indeed the cause of Shiomi's affection towards Hisagi, she would feel relieved-after all, her emotions could then qualify as a temporary crush. And that's all that this would turn out to be.

Shiomi didn't even realize that as these thoughts crossed her mind, the group had reached their destination. She wasn't very impressed with the small store in front of her, but the large blue sign reading "Urahara Shop" indicated that this was indeed the correct location. Shiomi somewhat wondered if she would have to return here. If so, she really felt that she should have paid more attention to Ichigo's path here.

After briefly being able to observe the exterior of the shop, Shiomi followed Ichigo, Sado, and Orihime, who had already begun to walk towards the entrance. Once Ichigo reached the door, he seemed to lose all sense of manners, as he roughly kicked it open, then shouted for the namesake of the store.

"Urahara!" Ichigo shouted, calling the attention of a small redheaded boy and a quiet looking girl with black hair.

"He's with a customer, carrot-top. You've gotta wait for him to finish," the boy rudely declared to Ichigo.

Shiomi could tell that an argument would insue following his "carrot-top" remark, but she didn't pay much mind to it, as she inspected the wares on the shelves. After blocking out the ruckus of Ichigo and the other boy, Shiomi could discern two male voices conversing in the next room over. She placed her ear towards the door in an attempt to be able to clearly determine what the topic of conversation was; however, she wasn't able to hear very much, as the door slid open and her head crashed straight onto someone's very toned chest.

Shiomi quickly pulled away and rubbed her head, then heard the person before her say, "Ah, so you found Kurosaki?"

Although she had only heard that voice a few times in the past thirty-six hours, Shiomi recognized it immediately. She stood up and guiltily looked up towards Hisagi. "Ah! U-um... sorry for eavesdropping..."

"Eavesdropping?" Hisagi repeated. "Is that what you were trying to do?"

Shiomi didn't have time to utter a flustered reply, as an older blonde man appeared from behind Hisagi, wearing a striped hat and wooden sandals. The man smiled at Shiomi and took her hand. "Ah, you must be Tanaka-san! It's a pleasure to meet you~!"

Shiomi blinked to demonstrate her lack of understanding in the situation.

"I'm the humble owner of this shop," the man continued, releasing Shiomi's hand and walking past her and Hisagi towards Ichigo, who was still shouting at the redhead.

Ichigo seemed to notice the man's presence, and concluded his quarrel with the younger boy only to resume yelling at a different target. Shiomi had never seen this side of Ichigo, and she didn't much care for it.

"What are you doing right now?" Hisagi asked, pulling Shiomi's attention away from Ichigo's shouting.

Shiomi looked at Hisagi, and, distracted by his demeanor, lied. "Nothing... why?"

Hisagi looked over towards the storeowner. "There's something I need you to do."

Shiomi followed Hisagi's gaze, which seemed to also catch the attention of Orihime and Sado, but escaped the notice of Ichigo.

"Ah!" Orihime exclaimed, immediately waving. "Hello, Shuuhei-san!"

"Hey..." Shuuhei acknowledged, then sent a curt nod in Sado's direction. Shiomi could tell that he didn't seem too comfortable around them, allowing her to assume that he may not have known Orihime and Sado as well as he knew Ichigo or the storeowner.

At this revelation, Shiomi's attention was drawn back towards Ichigo's shouting, which she couldn't follow a word of; however, as soon as the young redheaded boy joined in to the argument, some snippets and insults became clearer.

As Ichigo pushed the redhead away from him, he shouted, "Why don't you go play outside like kids should? Go kick around your soccer ball or something!"

Orihime seemed to remember something after Ichigo's harsh suggestion, and exclaimed, "Ah! Tanaka-san's an excellent soccer player! She could play with you!"

At this announcement, Shiomi instantly recalled that today was Tuesday-and she was thirty minutes late for practice.

She gasped after checking the clock on the wall, then bolted out the door, shouting apologies as she left.

Urahara stared after the brunette who just left his shop, his mouth and facial expression obscured by the fan in his hand. Impartially, he stated, "She's a weird girl, isn't she?"

Hisagi smirked, admiring Shiomi's departing form. "Yeah," he replied, "she is."


	6. The Sunset

After Shiomi left for school, Hisagi began to make his way towards the Urahara Shop. If his mission was to locate and defeat hollows, then the spirit communicator that would indicate their presences would be vital for the task's completion.

In a matter of minutes, Hisagi stood outside the renegade shinigami's store, carefully scrutinizing the outward appearance. It seemed to be a rather quaint location for such an accomplished soul reaper, but Hisagi wouldn't complain so long as Urahara could give him what he needed. The most noticeable aspects of the store were not the design features, but the two youthful employees standing outside of it, each one holding a broom. The kids appeared to be playing as opposed to cleaning.

Hisagi didn't pay much mind to the children, instead taking a step forward to make his presence known. His action succeeded in its purpose, as the young girl standing quietly by the loud red-haired boy pointed toward Hisagi, saying, "Jinta-kun, look."

Jinta turned around, crossing his arms at the sight of Hisagi. His voice was loud and possessed what Hisagi could only describe as an undeserved sense of authority. "What do you want?"

Ignoring the boy's rude tone, Hisagi replied, "I need to speak with Urahara-san. Is he here?"

Jinta's eyebrows narrowed in what could have been postulated as inspection of Hisagi. He only halted his examination when Hisagi's vice-captain badge came into his view. Thanks to his acute senses, Hisagi was able to notice this subtle yet abrupt change in demeanor, and could immediately tell that the redhead was aware of its meaning.

Jinta brought the broom up to rest on his shoulder, closed his eyes, and turned toward the shop's entrance. "Wait here," he commanded, opening the door, then letting it almost close until the young girl behind him followed.

Hisagi's eyes narrowed as he contemplated what the owner of this shop would be like. Like every other significant figure in the Seireitei, Hisagi had certainly heard of Urahara Kisuke, but he never had opportunity to meet him. As with most other shinigami his age, Hisagi was nervous for this first meeting. He could only expect an intimidating, intelligent figure-but he certainly wouldn't expect someone that would make the fukutaicho wait for a mere introduction. 

"He's still out there, huh?" Jinta commented, peeking through the window of the front door towards the ninth division vice captain, who was now seated on the ground, his back supported by the telephone pole behind him.

It had been five hours since Hisagi first arrived at Urahara's shop, and he was beginning to lose his patience, even though he wouldn't let it show. He wasn't sure if Urahara was naturally tardy or if the man was purposely trying to irritate him. Either way, the latter's effect was gradually beginning to grow.

Urahara sighed, standing up and preparing to meet what he supposed would be an inevitable scolding from a Seireitei authority. He couldn't imagine another reason why such a high-seated figure would be at his humble abode.

"I suppose we can't postpone this much longer," Urahara stated, walking towards the door, his fan casually held in his hand. The door slid open, catching Hisagi's attention as Urahara shouted, "Hisagi-dono! What a privilege to have you here." Urahara bowed at the end of his declaration, making Hisagi wonder if his greeting was genuine or forced.

Hisagi stood from his position and walked toward Urahara as the ex-shinigami announced, "Please, come inside~!"

The blonde man walked away from the door, indicating for Hisagi to follow him. As far as he could tell, Hisagi thought that this shopkeeper was just as cryptic as others claimed him to be.

Hisagi followed Urahara into the store and through a door leading to a room featuring a round table. Urahara took a seat at one end and casually fanned himself, commenting, "Don't be so formal! Sit down!"

Hisagi did as he was told and sat cross-legged across from Urahara. He was finally able to take in the man's appearance, and he couldn't admit that he was impressed. The man had a sort of lackadaisical air about him, and his casual sitting position and method of dress confirmed this suspicion. In spite of Hisagi's first impression, however, he knew that he could expect more from the infamous Urahara Kisuke.

A tall, muscular figure sporting glasses entered the room, and Hisagi could acutely discern the tremor of the floor as he walked. The man bent down and placed two cups and a pot of tea in the center of the table, then filled both containers.

"Ah, thank you, Tessai!" Urahara commented, casually grabbing one tea-filled cup from the center of the table. "Help yourself, fukutaicho-kun."

Hisagi looked from Urahara to the porcelain container before him, then grabbed the cup, muttering a "thank you" to the tall man prior to his departure.

Hisagi slowly brought the cup to his lips, closing his eyes to savor the flavor of the tea. He opened them as he was drinking to observe the confusing man before him, who happened to be sipping his tea as well.

When he finished, Urahara put the cup back on the table and announced his satisfaction. "Ahh! Tessai makes the best tea! Don't you agree, Hisagi-kun?"

Hisagi smiled at the man in agreement, looking down at his cup. His eyes narrowed, finally having the courage to ask the first question that came to mind from the moment Urahara first called to him. "How do you know my name?"

A smirk was seen from under the shinigami's striped hat as the man leaned back onto his hand. "How could I _not _know the name of the ninth division vice captain?"

Although he couldn't see them, Hisagi could feel Urahara's eyes on his figure as he placed his cup back on the table. By now, Hisagi was able to figure out that regardless of what question he asked Urahara, he would never get a straight answer, so further inquiries would be meaningless.

"So," Urahara began, sitting back up with his elbows resting on the table, his chin supported by the palms of his hands, "what brings you to my modest shop?"

Preferring to get straight to business, Hisagi reached into his pocket and pulled out the remnants of his spirit communicator. Urahara snapped his fan shut and put his palms on the table, leaning forward to get a better view of the demolished device.

"What's that supposed to be?" Urahara innocently asked.

"It _was _my spirit communicator," Hisagi commented, slightly irritated that the only person with access to Soul Society technology at hand in the world of the living was unaware of what this common device was. "It's broken, so I was hoping you could give me a replacement."

Urahara leaned back in his seat and pulled out his fan once more, covering his lips as he spoke, "Are you sure it's broken?"

Hisagi's eyebrow twitched. He had begun to lose his patience when the man made him wait for five hours simply for a replacement device; now he was going into overdrive. Hisagi was, however, intelligent enough to know that acting rudely towards Urahara would certainly not warrant what he desired. So, as calmly as he could, Hisagi replied, "Yeah. It doesn't work."

Urahara released a "hm" of contemplation, then began to rub his chin. "I think I have just the thing!" he exclaimed, suddenly snapping his fan shut and standing up.

Hisagi followed suit and joined the shinigami as he walked out of the room. He followed Urahara down one hallway and to a closed door. The man gestured for Hisagi to wait outside as he slid the door open and entered. Vague sounds of opening boxes and falling equipment could be heard, but Hisagi knew better than to worry about it. Although he was slightly aloof, he could tell that Urahara knew what he was doing.

"Ta-da~!" said man called, sliding the door open and shoving a plastic-coated device towards Hisagi. "It's the unofficial shinigami spirit communicator!"

Hisagi blinked, then grabbed the communicator. It was covered in hard PVC packaging, and words in flashy fonts were strewn throughout it. Although the device appeared the same as his old one, Hisagi still had doubt about its authenticity.

"Unofficial?" he asked.

Urahara delightfully nodded. "It isn't recognized for use by the Seireitei, but it works the same!"

Hisagi looked at Urahara again. "Then why is it unofficial?"

Urahara pointed towards a collection of words on the packaging. "This one has games."

Hisagi looked at the packaging and began reading the words as Urahara continued to explain that this communicator worked exactly the same way as his old one, with the exception of the entertainment section.

"I suppose they thought that shinigami would get too distracted with colorful pixels to focus on work," Urahara rambled, leading Hisagi back to the room previously occupied. "But I know that won't be a problem for you, Hisagi-kun!"

Urahara flashed a smile at Hisagi, who in response muttered, "Thanks."

The other shinigami closed his eyes in acknowledgement of the fukutaicho's gratitude, then proceeded to ask, "Might I ask why a vice captain like yourself would have a mission in the world of the living?"

Hisagi looked up from the spirit communicator and elaborated on the details of his business in this world, including the recent menos attack.

"Where was the attack?" Urahara asked.

Hisagi was slightly surprised by the man's interest in the subject, but answered nonetheless. "In Naruki. It attacked some girl with a high reiatsu."

Although he didn't much care for calling Shiomi, who had treated him with such undeserved hospitality, "some girl," Hisagi wasn't sure how else to describe her without sounding interested in a human.

"Oh?" Urahara commented, his interest obviously piqued. "How old was she?"

Hisagi shrugged. "She's in Kurosaki's class."

Urahara smirked at this, then replied, "Is she cute?"

Hisagi's eyes widened slightly in suprise at the blunt inquiry. He wasn't sure if he should reply honestly or if Urahara was regularly this informal.

"I think she's a little young for you, Urahara-san," Hisagi replied, maintaining his demeanor.

Urahara laughed in response, fanning his face. "It's not for _my _benefit, Hisagi-kun."

Hisagi raised an eyebrow in response. Just what was this man getting at?

"Well, it's not exactly like humans are accustomed to getting attacked by hollows then rescued by a stranger," Urahara clarified, leaning against the wall behind him. "Don't you agree?"

Hisagi looked down. It was evident following their second encounter that Shiomi was attracted to Hisagi, even if it was only a childish affection. The only problem that Hisagi assumed was that he didn't want to get too attached to anyone or anything on this brief mission, and he had a foreboding feeling that it was already too late to fulfill that wish.

In an attempt to disprove his emotions to both Urahara and himself, Hisagi replied, "She's not really my type."

It was true; Hisagi was more interested in women having a stature similar to Matsumoto's. Shiomi, however, in no way resembled her. She was petite, and Matsumoto was curvy. Shiomi was average in height, and Matsumoto was tall. Matsumoto's boobs were huge, and Shiomi's were... well...

Hisagi was drawn from his comparisons when Urahara questioned, "What makes you say that?"

Hisagi turned towards Urahara, and stated the only suitable cause for his squandering of emotions towards Shiomi: "Too human."

Urahara laughed. "That's cruel, Hisagi-kun."

Hisagi smirked at Urahara, whose laughter had died down. He then remembered something he had wanted to ask Urahara about Shiomi.

"Urahara-san," Hisagi began, claiming the man's attention, "would it be possible for Shiomi to learn to protect herself?"

Urahara looked slightly surprised by Hisagi's suggestion and rubbed his chin in contemplation, allowing Hisagi to continue. "She has such a recognizable reiatsu that I'm sure hollows will continue to pursue her after I leave. And it's not like Kurosaki can constantly travel to Naruki on short notice."

Urahara looked at Hisagi, initially with a serious expression, which eventually faded into a jovial one. "Of course it's possible!"

Hisagi's eyes widened at Urahara's response; he didn't honestly think that the ex-shinigami would agree so easily. "Really?" Hisagi confirmed.

"Sure!" Urahara added, walking past Hisagi to lead him back to the front of the store. "Have her come by sometime."

Hisagi frowned. Although he had gotten what he wanted, it seemed too easy-like there was something Urahara was hiding from him. Urahara's reasoning behind his acceptance of training Shiomi became evident when he continued speaking.

"And if you honestly say that you don't think she's your type, Hisagi-kun, I'll believe you," Urahara said, his tone lightly sarcastic. "It is exclusively out of the goodness of your heart that you want this random human girl to have independent protection, right?"

Urahara turned around, eyeing Hisagi's shocked expression. Hisagi didn't consider Urahara's words to be accurate (as they were obviously not intended to be), but he mentally tried to consider why he so wanted Shiomi to be protected. Maybe it was because she expressed such concern for him that she would go out of her way to provide him with sustenance. Or maybe he just felt guilty that he would never reciprocate her feelings that this would be the only way to compensate. While both of these theories were possible, Hisagi couldn't deny that he found Shiomi to be a very interesting girl, and she certainly did not deserve a premature demise.

Hisagi wasn't able to reply to Urahara as a cacophony of shouting came from the front of the store. So, in an attempt to get the last word in, Hisagi added, "I probably do feel something for this girl, Urahara-san. But it's definitely not what you're implying."

Urahara refocused on Hisagi as the fukutaicho moved towards the door to the front. "Of course, Hisagi-kun," Urahara replied.

Hisagi let Urahara's last comment slide, and thanked him for the replacement spirit communicator one last time before opening the door to the front of the store. Hisagi was immediately hit with a small body, and looked down to see a mass of light brown hair, immediately identifying the girl who had collided with him. 

"Tch," Ichigo began, crossing his arms, "what was the point of that? She comes here for five minutes, then leaves?"

Hisagi ignored Ichigo's comment and thanked him for leading Shiomi here, even if it was only for a brief encounter. At least she knew where the store was now.

"No problem," Ichigo responded, smirking at Hisagi.

Hisagi could vaguely see Urahara trying to inch his way out of the room, making it obvious that he didn't feel much like getting yelled at by Ichigo again. The orange-haired boy immediately spotted this attempt, however, and resumed his shouting.

"Where are you going, Urahara?" Ichigo began, his voice steadily increasing in volume.

Urahara turned around abruptly and attempted to recover for his failed escape. "No where special~!"

Ichigo's expression immediately transformed into a scowl and he pointed at the man in question, "I need to talk to you about something."

Urahara winced slightly, almost like he knew he had done something that would obviously upset Ichigo.

"I've been fighting hollows nonstop for the past two days," Ichigo began lowering his arm. "What's going on? Did someone use bait or something?"

Urahara seemed to release a sigh, which, luckily, escaped the notice of everyone present in the room. Ichigo's announcement was obviously not what he had expected, and he seemed rather glad about that fact.

"Hmm," Urahara began, sitting on the ground. "I didn't hear anything. But Hisagi-kun was just telling me about how he's here on a mission to defeat a predicted menos gathering, so maybe they're related."

Ichigo looked down, obviously not satisfied with the answer. Urahara ignored his response, however, and continued his explanation. "This is purely speculation, of course. I'll see what I can do."

"Thanks," Ichigo replied, rather unenthusiastically. It was understandable that the prospect of fighting weak hollows non-stop wouldn't excite the accomplished soul reaper.

Knowing that his business was now done here, Hisagi stated, "I guess I'd better get going."

He bid the group farewell, and almost reached the door before Urahara called, "Hisagi-kun! I'll have your gigai ready soon!"

Hisagi turned around, his confusion evident. "I didn't ask for one."

Urahara leaned back, a knowing smirk on his face. "I'm positive you'll find it useful. Trust me."

Hisagi closed his eyes and turned around. "Whatever you say..."

He thanked Urahara for his assistance one last time before departing. Back in the shop, however, Ichigo asked, "Why're you giving him a gigai if he doesn't want one?"

Urahara laughed. "How else can Tanaka-san go on a date with him?"

Ichigo, Inoue, and Sado all raised their brows and looked at one another before shrugging off the comment.

"He'll thank me for it," Urahara added. "I know he will."

Hisagi sighed as he repeatedly pressed the buttons on his new "unofficial" spirit communicator. Since Urahara claimed that it would be more high-tech, Hisagi merely assumed that it would be easier to work; the opposite, however, proved to be true. Hisagi couldn't even figure out how to turn the device off.

Hisagi continued to randomly press buttons to observe their effects. He didn't even think to consider that his setting may have been slightly odd, as the people in the park passing by were staring at the empty park bench that beeped consistently. Hisagi wasn't even sure why he chose to take up residence where he had, but he didn't feel much like traveling farther. So, the park bench it was.

He must have spent another fifteen minutes examining his new device before a light, girly voice interrupted his inspection.

"Hisagi?" Shiomi questioned, standing a couple of feet away from the bench.

She was wearing a white t-shirt that made her athletic physique more than apparent, as well as the black sports bra that she wore beneath it. Her tan, toned legs were hardly covered by the black athletic shorts that barely hit five inches to her thigh. High socks were covering her calves, and she was supporting a large bag on her shoulder, which most likely held her sports equipment. Had he not been so taken by her appearance, Hisagi may have wondered what could have been inside such a colossal container, but he didn't care. He was much too busy observing how wonderfully the setting sun accentuated the light sweat coating her face, and gave an ethereal shine to her long brown locks.

Shiomi was aware of Hisagi's stare, and knew that he would be judging her. Why the hell would she choose to approach him when she was sweaty and gross, having just come from soccer practice? She must have looked terrible—and she didn't want Hisagi to memorize that image of her.

In an attempt to distract him from her disheveled appearance, Shiomi questioned, "What are you doing out here?"

Hisagi was slightly taken away from Shiomi's appearance at this question, but he couldn't remember why he had chosen to sit at this particular bench in that particular park. Actually, he couldn't even really remember if he was in a park.

"No reason," Hisagi replied, trying to hide his lack of knowledge.

Shiomi smiled as she walked over to sit next to Hisagi. As she did so, she was able to see a perfect image of the sunset directly across from their place. Shiomi didn't much care for the sunset, and she didn't understand why other people were so fascinated with it. She hated the thought of what it implied-the end of something wonderful and the beginning of something terrifying and mysterious.

"Why are you out here?" Hisagi asked, trying to redirect Shiomi's attention, as she seemed to be staring off in some random direction.

"This is how I get home," Shiomi replied. She looked down at her lap and immediately realized how close she actually was to Hisagi. She could just reach her hand out and touch his, which happened to be resting on his thigh. She tried to distract herself from this knowledge by asking, "What about you?"

Hisagi raised an eyebrow, then curtly replied, "You already asked me that."

Shiomi blushed and tried to laugh off her embarrassment. "O-oh, yeah!"

She scratched behind her head and tried to think of something to do, something to say to prolong the end of their meeting. It was too late, however, as Hisagi stood and stated, "I should go."

Shiomi looked up at him. He, too, seemed to be taken by the sunset, but for another reason. Hisagi loved sunsets. He knew that girls liked them for their beauty and the romantic side of seeing the setting sun with a loved one, but the coming of night brought about such mystery and terror that it made Hisagi shiver. He didn't fear night, so much as he loved what it brought about-drinking, parties, and the casual atmosphere that accompanies such activities. It released the tension of the day, and he loved it.

"Um," Shiomi began, trying to regain Hisagi's attention, "do you want to have dinner with me?"

Hisagi turned towards Shiomi. She stuttered, assuming that his look was one of negative judgment. "I mean, if you've eaten already, I guess you don't really want to, so I'll just—"

"Okay."

Hisagi stopped her rambling, causing Shiomi to look even more flustered than before.

"Okay?" she confirmed.

Hisagi smirked at her. "Yeah. I said I'll go with you."

Shiomi was too surprised to smile. She stood up and gathered her belongings quickly.

Hisagi didn't know why he agreed to go eat with her. He assumed that it was just her endearing method of asking, but he appreciated the thought nonetheless.

"You know it'll look like you're eating by yourself, right?" Hisagi asked. But some part of him already knew her reply.

"I don't care," she honestly stated, causing Hisagi to smirk. "U-um," Shiomi continued, shyly trying to look Hisagi in the eye. It was more than obvious that she didn't do this very often. "Do you like sushi?"

Hisagi smirked. "I love it."


	7. The Box

It was awkward, to say the least. Shiomi never ate by herself, and she couldn't imagine what the other patrons were thinking as she absent-mindedly spoke to her side.

But at the moment, Shiomi really didn't care what the customers were saying. She didn't care if they insulted her or gossiped about her or even if they approached her. The attention she was receiving from Hisagi compensated for any stranger's negative comments.

She did suppose, however, that she didn't pay much mind to the fact that Hisagi couldn't even eat in the restaurant. Floating food tends to make people suspicious. So, while she volunteered to take food home, Hisagi insisted that she eat in the restaurant while he sat with her.

"So you're a forward," Hisagi explained, trying to understand what Shiomi had thus far explained about soccer, "which means that you're the person who kicks the ball into the net."

Shiomi shrugged and nodded while grabbing another dish off of the conveyor belt. "Kind of. There's another forward, though, and the midfielders help us."

Hisagi leaned on his elbow. "That's nice of them."

"Yeah, I guess," she replied, smiling.

Hisagi smirked as Shiomi lifted another tuna roll into her mouth. He also noticed that she mostly took tuna rolls off of the belt, assuming them to be a favorite of hers.

The evening continued in this manner, where in between eating, Shiomi would briefly speak with Hisagi, after which he would merely watch her eat. This, of course, made Shiomi feel beyond self-concious, yet she made no attempt to change his focus.

After another two tuna rolls, Shiomi sighed and leaned forward onto her crossed arms. "I'm full."

"That makes sense," Hisagi replied, looking over at the numerous plated beside her. She must have worked hard at soccer practice to need such a substantial amount of nutrition. Or she was just a pig. "Do you always eat that much?"

Shiomi looked over at the plates. "Not really. I eat a lot more when it's soccer season, though."

He should have guessed

Shiomi stretched. She appeared to be getting ready to leave, but she didn't want to. For once, she didn't feel noticeably nervous around Hisagi. She couldn't understand why, but she enjoyed not appearing so idiotic around him. So, she attempted to lengthen their interaction by asking the first question that popped into her head.

"Do you have a girlfriend?"

Hisagi's eyes widened. He wasn't used to Shiomi being so forward, but he was sure he didn't prefer the awkward, stuttering school girl.

Shiomi actually surprised herself with this question. If it didn't seem so unusual, she would have smacked herself. How much more obvious could she get?

Hisagi looked towards the conveyor belt and answered, "No, I don't."

Shiomi followed Hisagi's lead and faced the belt as well. "Oh."

Hisagi didn't bother asking Shiomi if she was in a relationship. Not only did her behavior around him scream of the fact that her interactions with the opposite sex were incredibly limited, but he also didn't care. Why should he? The possibility of Shiomi having a boyfriend wouldn't affect him in any way. He didn't care about her that way. At least, that's how he justified his feelings.

After another five minutes of silence, Shiomi stood and said, "I guess I'll go pay."

While she walked away, Hisagi intentionally directed his focus away from her. He shouldn't get so distracted on a simple mission. She was superfluous compared to it. She didn't matter.

He contemplated for a longer period of time than it seemed, since Shiomi appeared to instantaneously return, extending a box in Hisagi's direction.

"Here," she said, holding the box out to him. "I saw you eyeing the nigiri. You must be hungry, anyway."

Hisagi gently took the box out of her hands. "Thanks."

Shiomi smiled slightly and muttered some response that Hisagi couldn't hear. She wouldn't have wanted him to hear it, anyway.

"Are you ready?" she asked, picking up her soccer bag.

Hisagi looked at the box, then back at Shiomi. "Yeah."

"Ahh~!" Shiomi sighed, stepping out of the steamy bathroom. She found baths particularly refreshing after practice.

After drying off and putting on her night clothes, Shiomi walked to her room, crossing her father in the hallway. She could feel his stern gaze, but chose to ignore it. Oddly enough, he walked away without reprimanding her.

She pleasantly entered her room and smiled, sliding down against her door. Shiomi had never felt so blissfully happy. Not only did she have soccer practice, but she also got to spend time with Hisagi, and to top it off, her father didn't speak to her once. Today was a really good day.

As she sat on the floor, she allowed herself to think over what had happened. The majority of the events that she could remember, however, revolved around Hisagi and when she had thought of him throughout the day. It was during this contemplation, however, that her smile reversed.

Shiomi liked Hisagi. A lot. She knew it was because he had saved her life. She knew that her attraction to him grew when she realized that her father would certainly not approve. She knew that all she wanted was to be near him, and she was indisputably stupid for ending their dinner so early.

She brought her knees up to her chest and rested her elbows atop them, burying her face in her hands. It was in Shiomi's nature to constantly think of the worst case scenario, and that was all she could consider for Hisagi. She imagined confessing her feelings for him, after which he laughed at her. She imagined him dying while fighting a hollow while she stood by, helpless. She imagined him leaving after his mission and never seeing him again. She imagined forgetting ever having known Hisagi and how much she cared for him.

While Shiomi knew that she didn't love him, she was aware that she liked him enough to want him to stay in Naruki for as long as possible. She didn't know if he could do this, or if he even would.

It was because of these contemplations that Shiomi pulled on the roots of her damp hair, curled her toes, bit her bottom lip, and released a tear from her eye.

For once, Shiomi had drawn the shades in her room, preventing Hisagi from seeing anything within. He sighed, once again playing with the spirit communicator from Urahara. While he knew he would have most likely enjoyed the games, he wasn't technologically advanced enough to find them. Perhaps there was some kind of password he was unaware of.

Frustrated, Hisagi tucked the device into his pocket, leaning on his elbow. He was somewhat surprised that he had only been in town for two days, since so much had seemed to have occurred. In reality, very few significant events had happened, yet it seemed like they took a significant amount of time. This mission was becoming surprisingly time consuming.

Hisagi leaned back, noticing movement beyond the curtain in Shiomi's room. Based on her shadow, it appeared as though she was putting her hair up. Hisagi thought she had very nice hair—the kind that always looked soft and touchable.

The shadow disappeared after Shiomi turned off the light, and Hisagi sighed once more. It felt like he had been doing a lot of that lately.

For the rest of the evening, Hisagi tried to convince himself that he didn't care as much for Shiomi as he seemed to, even though he stayed across her house the entire night.


End file.
